Cardinals have talked about Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, as someone who could have a steady, bureaucratic hand on the church’s wheel.

Nowhere in the world is the Roman Catholic Church growing faster than in Africa, a continent Francis showered with attention.

In a foreword to a book, he articulated the church’s position on marriage.

Some see the byword as a rallying call in a conservative campaign to reverse Francis’ push for a more inclusive church.

Efforts to fix the Vatican’s broken finances helped restore confidence among big givers. But the work isn’t finished.

In a solemn and majestic funeral on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Catholic Church on Saturday laid to rest Pope Francis, the first South American pope, whose simple style, pastoral vision and outsized footprint on the world stage both …